हिरण्यगर्भो वेदानां मन्त्राणां प्रणवस्त्रिवृत् । अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि पदानिच्छन्दसामहम् ॥ १२ ॥
hiraṇyagarbho vedānāṁ mantrāṇāṁ praṇavas tri-vṛt akṣarāṇām a-kāro ’smi padāni cchandasām aham
- hiraṇya-garbhaḥ
- Lord Brahmā
- vedānām
- of the Vedas
- mantrāṇām
- of mantras
- praṇavaḥ
- the oṁkāra
- tri-vṛt
- consisting of three letters
- akṣarāṇām
- of letters
- a-kāraḥ
- the first letter, a
- asmi
- I am
- padāni
- the three-line Gāyatrī mantra
- chandasām
- among sacred meters
- aham
- I am
Among the Vedas I am their original teacher, Lord Brahmā, and of all mantras I am the three-lettered oṁkāra. Among letters I am the first letter, “a,” and among sacred meters I am the Gāyatrī mantra.